The Sound of Silence
by CallingGloria
Summary: My take on how the season 3 finale should have ended and what could come next.
1. Chapter 1

**This is my take on how the season finale should have ended with a bit of an added nibble. I sure long for those spine-tingling, gut-wrenching, heart-pumping 'Who Shot J.R?" type of climatic cliffhangers that we used to have. They would leave us breathless and on edge until the fall. We don't have those anymore and it's a darned shame. Whenever I watch a season finale or premiere I usually go: "Oh? Is that all?" Same with previews. They are often misleading.**

**This is a short tag. If the interest is there I'll come back in June with my take on a would-be season premiere episode. And before anyone says: 'Oh he would have done this or he never would have done that', bear in mind that this is my AU and I will go out of my way not to make it a spoiler for the fall.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own H-50 nor am I affiliated with the show. I did borrow the exact dialogs in the end scene with Wo Fat and Steve to set my tag.**

**Here goes…**

McGarrett marched down the corridor lined by heavily-armed guards to Wo Fat's high-security confinement space. He walked in and strode up to him with a brisk step.

"Thank you for coming, Commander," Wo Fat said.

"Don't flatter yourself," Steve replied on a somewhat sarcastic tone. "I was coming even if you hadn't asked."

"Yes." Wo Fat stepped up to the glass window separating the two men. "You want to know why your mother paid me a visit. I can answer that. But first you're going to do something for me."

"And what's that?" Steve asked with skepticism.

"You're going to get me out of here."

"Oh, is that so?" Steve mocked with a slight chuckle.

Then the sound of an explosion followed by machine gun echoed outside the steel door. "You set me up?"

"Yes, but not in the way you think. They're not here to break me out. They're here to kill me and you're the only one who can protect me from them."

"From who? Who are they?"

Steve's brows began to furrow deeply and an expression of doom washed over his face as he watched intently the steel door being welded open. His mind quickly registered the imminent threat but was stumped as to what swift plan to devise to avoid facing whatever regiment was on the other side. In a sidelong glance he could see Wo Fat cowardly stepping backwards with terror mirroring in his eyes. Even his archenemy was dreading the outcome.

There was nowhere to hide. He did a quick survey of the place to spot any blunt object that could be used as a weapon. When he found none, he decided to use his own with the misguided belief that he could overpower the enemy before it struck him.

He plastered his back against the wall by the door and with controlled breaths, he silently waited for the right instance to spring into action. When the melted metal piece was kicked inside and the barrel of the AK-47 came into view, Steve grabbed and yanked it, pulling the man inside along with it. Without a moment's notice, he lunged at him and both struggled for the weapon.

Steve got the upper hand and twitched the assault rifle out of the man's grasp. He stood and before he could thrust it at the enemy, another merc fired a round in his direction, instantly riddling him with bullets. Steve's body jerked from the impact of every single entry, but somehow he didn't feel pain; only a strange numbness that quickly travelled through his nerves.

"Shit! McGarrett!" the assailant cursed.

"Oh my God, Steve!" cried the gruff voice of the leader who swiftly dove to grab the limp body before it sagged to the concrete floor.

"Steve! Stay with me now," urged the authoritarian voice that he somehow recognized but that his muddled mind couldn't quite register. "Steve!" again only a muffled sound reached his ringing ears. His vision became blurred with a thin veil of unshed tears and was gradually tunneling. He wondered why he couldn't draw a single breath. He was drowning. He felt disembodied and disconnected with the space around him growing smaller and dimmer.

"Joe I'm sorry. I thought he was another guard and I…" offered the frantic plea. "What was he doing here?"

"I don't know. Get Wo Fat!" Joe ordered his men as he cradled Steve's crippled form in his arms.

The men shot at the glass to shatter it and grabbed the disfigured convict.

His eyes glazed over and he started drifting off, only to be jostled back to a world that he felt he no longer belonged to. "Stay with me, Steve. We'll get you fixed up."

The blank stare and blue-tinged lips were noticeable signs that the life was quickly ebbing away. Finally the head slumped to the side, prompting Joe to press two fingers against the neck to check for a pulse. "Dammit!"

Joe gingerly laid the dead weight on the floor and began chest compressions.

With hands bound behind his back, Wo Fat stood over Joe and smirked, "I told you one day you'd wind up killing him."

"Get him outta here! " Joe barked without lifting his sight off the body of his protege that moved limply with every compressions applied to his still chest.

"What about McGarrett?"

"I'll take care of him. You just get that bastard away before they sound the alert. I'll hitch a ride with Dave. Tell him to have the van ready."

"Joe, we're not supposed to be here. If they find out…"

"I know!" Joe snapped. "You just take Wo Fat to the hideout and I'll meet you there."

He bent down to insufflate a good amount of air into Steve's lungs and resumed the frantic compressions. "Come on! Come on! Breathe!"


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you so much for your responses to the first chapter. I really didn't expect that many and based on the number, it's safe to say that I will finish what I started. **

**I've condensed an entire season of plots into a single episode or rather a two-part episode and it will read like such. I've added a few herbs and spices of my own into the mix to make sure this isn't a spoiler for the fall premiere. But it is fun for me to think it could be.**

**I apologize if there are inaccuracies for I have missed a few episodes of Season 3 on account of business trips and that my DVD recorder was on the blink. ****I hope to catch up with the summer reruns. Again this is my AU so I might have changed a few things.  
**

**We're entering a dark tunnel but there should be light at the end of it.**

**H50H50H50H50**

Danny breezed inside the hospital and made a beeline for the nurses' station.

"Excuse me?" he addressed the two nurses on duty. "I'm Detective Daniel Williams. Somebody called me about Commander Steven McGarrett?"

The dark brunette approached the desk. "Yes Detective. I'm the one who contacted you. You are listed as Commander McGarrett's medical proxy."

"That's right. You said something about multiple gunshot wounds?"

"I did."

"How is he?"

"At the moment he's still in surgery. We haven't heard anything from the doctors who are working on him."

"Who brought him to the hospital? What did he say happen?" Danny was coming apart at the seams, going out of his skull with dread.

"A man showed up at the emergency and put him on a gurney. Told us to get in touch with his emergency contact. They immediately rushed him into the OR."

"What man?"

"That's what we're trying to figure out," Duke said as he walked up to Danny.

"Duke! What the hell is going on here? What happened to Steve?"

"We know that he was shot several times but other than that, nothing."

"Wait a minute! You're standing here telling me that you have absolutely no report whatsoever of a shooting? No identity on the guy who brought him in? For God's sake! He wasn't invisible! Someone must have seen his face? Did he give a name?" Danny was beside himself. Panic has set in every fiber of his being, firing up the nerves in his body.

"He said his name was John Smithers. A few nurses and doctors saw part of his face. He wore a hat and dark glasses. He barely said two words before he quietly slipped away. We're getting an artist sketch to run a facial recognizance."

"What about surveillance tapes?"

"They're getting them ready for us. But I doubt they'll tell us more than what the personnel who got a glimpse of him did."

Danny ran his hands through his hair and puffed out in frustration. Duke came to rest a hand on his shoulder.

"Danny, we will catch whoever did this. Steve will make it."

"Yeah, he's seen worse, right?" Danny replied sarcastically before turning to the nurse. "I'll be in the waiting room."

"We will update you as soon as we hear something."

"Thank you." He turned to Duke. "Duke, you…"

"You'll be the first one I contact, Danny." Duke obliged.

Danny nodded appreciatively and tapped him on the arm as he headed toward the waiting room where he plumped down on the couch and buried his head in his hands in utter despair.

_H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50_

It wasn't long before Chin showed up at the hospital. He spotted Danny near the coffee machine and walked up to him. "Danny!"

"Chin."

"How's Steve?"

"No word yet."

"Who did this?"

"So far no lead. Duke got a sketchy description of the man who brought him to the hospital and asked for the surveillance tapes."

"Danny! Chin!" Duke called out from down the corridor. He hurried up to the two men. "We just had a report that Wo Fat has escaped."

"What?" Danny jumped in.

"There was a massive carnage at the jail. Ten guards were killed. Blood spattered everywhere and there was a considerable amount of blood inside the confinement space where Wo Fat was held as if someone bled to death or close. Forensic took samples to determine if the blood's Wo Fat's."

"Could the two be related?" Chin threw in.

"Steve did mention he was going to pay that bastard a visit. Couldn't be a coincidence. And yet it doesn't make sense. I mean if Wo Fat's goons shot Steve, then why bring him to the hospital? They would have left him there to die."

The two men shook their heads as they were stumped for answers. Chin however offered this conjecture. "Could it be that whoever broke into that jail wasn't one of Wo Fat's associates but instead a foe and that Steve just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and got accidentally shot in the commotion? I mean Danny's right. Why bring Steve to the hospital?"

"That's a plausible theory. We'll look into that." Duke said. "Look guys, I'll go back there and help with the investigation."

"I should go with you," Chin suggested and then turned to Danny, "unless you need me here?"

"No, you go Chin. I'll stay here and wait for news. I have a feeling Steve won't be coming out of surgery soon. You might have plenty of time to come back before we hear anything."

Chin gave Danny's shoulder a hearty squeeze. "Think positive. Steve's SuperSEAL ninja, remember?"

Danny pursed his lips into a thin line to refrain from wearing his heart on his sleeves in front of the two law enforcement officers. "Yeah. He's a tough S.O.B. Go on! Bring me some answers." He waved them off before his unshed tears started spilling out of his eyes.

Completely downcast, Danny wandered back to the coffee machine to buy his fourth cup. He needed to keep his wits about him and that's the stuff that could do it.

_H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50_

Nearly five hours had elapsed. Chin was back at the hospital to keep a despondent Danny company while waiting for news on Steve's condition.

A doctor clad in blood-spattered green scrubs exited the emergency room and made his way to the nurses' station to ask to speak to McGarrett's next of kin. She pointed to the blond detective sitting on the waiting room sofa.

"Detective Williams?"

Danny rose to his feet. "That's me."

"I'm Doctor Canford. I'm part of the surgical team that operated on Commander McGarrett."

"How is he?" Danny asked straightforwardly with a lump in his throat.

"Why don't we sit down?" He proposed with a wave of the hand toward the waiting room. He frowned at the Hawaiian native joining them.

"I'm sorry, this is Lieutenant Chin Ho Kelly. He is also part of the Five-0 Task Force."

"Lieutenant," the doctor nodded toward Chin as he perched himself on the arm of a chair facing the two friends.

"Now before you start listing the injuries, please, I beg of you, speak in plain English. Leave the medical lingo to the professionals. I just want to know what the damage is."

The doctor smiled cooperatively before his expression turned forlorn."Commander McGarrett was shot five times."

"Oh God!" Danny cried in despair and cradled his head between his hands as the air pushed out of his lungs. Chin laid a comforting hand on his shoulder.

Doctor Canford hung his head and allowed the blond detective a silent moment of grief before he continued delivering the grim prognosis. "One bullet penetrated the intestinal track. There was fecal matter that leaked into his abdomen. We cleaned the abdominal cavity but I'm afraid an infection has already set in. Right now his temperature is a concern. We are treating him with broad-spectrum antibiotics, hoping it will control or even eradicate the infection."

Canford paused momentarily to allow Danny to absorb the first blow. "The second bullet punctured his right lung. As a result he suffered a hemothorax, that's blood collecting in the pleural cavity. The man who brought him to the hospital had already inserted a plastic tube to relieve the pressure and that probably saved his life. We then replaced it a tubular drain."

Again there was a brief gap when Canford noticed that Danny was having a tough time coping with the onslaught of mental pellets striking him.

"The third and fourth bullets did less considerable harm as they missed any vital organs, but did nick veins adding more blood to collect in the abdominal cavity. Fortunately we were able to contain the bleeding."

"And the fifth bullet?"

"That one did the most damage. It was lodged in his heart."

"His heart?" Chin exclaimed in shock.

"Luckily it didn't go through otherwise it would have been fatal. Instead it was partially embedded in the left ventricle wall. It plugged its own hole which is the reason he was still alive when he was admitted. It lodged itself in the myocardium, that's the thick middle layer that forms the bulk of the heart wall. As the organ beats, it contracts and as a result it was making the bullet shift inward and the chest compressions that he must have undoubtedly received when he was shot didn't help his condition. Consequently we had no choice but to perform a cardiopulmonary bypass and a median sternotomy to retrieve both bullets and mend the tears."

"A sternotomy, is that…?" Chin began to ask.

"They cracked open his chest," Danny translated in total dismay.

He arrested twice on the operating table." Canford explained. "We will monitor the chest tube drainage carefully and watch for any drop in volume or if the blood pressure goes down, which will suggest a pericardial tamponade, which is pressure on the heart caused by fluid collecting in the pericardium, the sac in which the heart is enclosed. That's often the case in heart surgery patients post-op. He now shows a mild arrhythmia that we're hoping will stabilize. Plus which the fact that he's battling an infection isn't helping his situation. His heart may not withstand the strain very long."

"What are his chances?

"If the arrhythmia doesn't stabilize or worsens, the survival rate will be considerably lowered. At the moment it's seventy-thirty."

"So what are you telling us?" Chin jumped in before Danny could ask the dreaded question.

"That he might not survive the night."

Danny silently gasped as he felt a dagger going through his own heart. He tried breathing the pain away. "You don't know Steven McGarrett, Doctor. He's a former Navy SEAL. They don't make them any tougher than that. If there's a slim chance of him pulling through, he'll take it."

"I second that," Chin said.

Canford cast a sympathetic smile at the two afflicted men. "I won't say it's hopeless because that would go against what I believe, but I also don't want to feed you false hope either."

"We understand and we appreciate your candor. Can we see him?" It wasn't so much of a request as it was a statement.

"He's in intensive care and only one person is allowed per five-minute visit."

"Surely if he's dying you can make an exception?" came the churlish reply from the anguished detective.

Canford's eyes gleaned over the two faces staring pleadingly at him. "I'll see what I can do. Come with me."

Both Danny and Chin followed Doctor Canford to the ICU where they were asked to wait by the door where a security guard had been stationed, while he informed the nurses of his decision to allow the two visitors inside the room.

"Come in gentlemen." Canford waved them in and led the way to the patient lying deathly still, hooked to an array of machines monitoring his breathing and heartbeat. Tubes snaked out of different parts of his body with fluids flowing in and out. His chest was covered with thick bandages, though the one that stood out and made the bile rise to Danny's throat was the dressing on the large incision in the middle of his sternum as a result of the sternotomy they had to perform to remove the bullets lodged in his lung and heart. The very thought of his friend's chest cracked open made him nauseous.

Danny approached the bed and placed his hands on the railing. He bit his upper lip to refrain from crying at the ghostly pale face staring back at him. He looked away to regain control of his emotions before setting his gaze back on his partner. "I'll find who did this to you, Steven. I swear I'll make him pay if it's the last thing I do." Danny vowed angrily as he reached a hand to touch Steve's fevered brow. "You hang in there, babe. I know you can get through this. You're SuperSEAL remember?" Danny sniffed back a tear and stepped away as his emotions threatened to swallow him whole.

Chin laid his hand on Steve's bare shoulder. "We're here for you, Steve. We'll help you pull through this. Don't you dare give up!"


	3. Chapter 3

At Danny's and Chin's insistence, Doctor Canford arranged for the two men to spend the night in their friend's room. Steve's fever had spiked in the last few hours, adding a load to the already weakened heart that showed a constant arrhythmia, a sign that the end was near.

It was late at night. Danny was standing by Steve's bed holding his hand when Chin entered with two cups of coffee. He handed one to Danny. "Here. Nice and hot."

"Thanks but five is my limit; otherwise it makes me jumpy and somewhat drowsy at the same time. I need my wits about me in case he…" Danny's voice failed him at the thought of losing his friend.

"You're exhausted. I'll take over while you catch some winks."

"No, I'm okay," Danny sighed dejectedly. "It's hard to see him like this. He's always been the strong one. SuperSEAL and now look at him." An irregular heartbeat on the monitor startled him. He glanced down at Steve and squeezed his hand. "Stay with us, Steven, Come on! Fight!" He waited for the crisis to pass before reaching for the basis filled with water. He dunked a cloth in and wrung it of excess water before applying it to Steve's forehead to dab at the beads of sweat."

"Did you call his sister?"

"I did. There was no answer. I left a message on her answering machine."

"What about Catherine?"

"Last I heard she was on maneuvers in the Middle East. Total blackout."

"What about Doris?"

Danny snorted. "What about her?"

"She should know."

"Really?" Danny sneered with a marked cynicism. "Besides she's unreachable right now. If Steve has her coordinates he didn't give them to me. Even if I had them, I wouldn't contact her. I think she's the last person he would want to see right now."

"I take it you don't like her."

"Geez whatever gave you that idea?" came the spiteful sarcasm. "I know she's his mother but…what she did to him is unforgivable. Sure she explained why she did it; that it was to protect her family but for God's sake Chin! She should have come forward before. Twenty years is a long time. She hurt him bad. I don't think he's completely forgiven her."

"She helped hide Kono and Adam."

"Her only redeeming quality? Anyhow I'm quite certain that wherever she is, word of what happened to Steve will reach her."

"I can only hope that Kono doesn't find out or she might try to return and risk getting caught."

"Yeah about that, Chin. I know our gal didn't do it. I want to start our own investigation parallel to HPD's. I'm aware it'll be biased but if he gets her off the hook quicker without her seeing the inside of a prison jail, sobeit!"

"You and me, brah."

"I think we should start with Adam."

"You think he could be implicated?"

"Just a gut feeling. I never trusted him just like I don't rightly trust Doris McGarrett. Perhaps it's just me and I'm a bit wary of outsiders but…I just have this sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach and when I do, I need to nose around and unearth the dirt."

"We'll do it together."

"And let's not get Catherine involved."

"Another one you don't trust?"

"Based on what Steve told me in confidence, yes. He has become distrustful of her lately because of this whole mother-returning-from-the-death situation. He suspects she's withholding information from him. Instead of rejoicing of having his mother back, Steve is more suspicious than ever, bordering on paranoia and I can't say I blame him because I feel the same. I'm telling you Chin, something's nasty in the woodshed."

"All right. It's just you and me, brah."

"We might consider bringing Kamekona in, see if he can tap into his connections and put out feelers. HIM I trust."

Another irregular heart beat prompted Danny to lay a hand on Steve's heart. "Stay with us, Steven. Come on, babe!"

_H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50_

Early next morning, a light nudge on his shoulder startled Danny out of his sleep. He looked up through bleary eyes at Doctor Canford standing over him.

"It's over, Detective. He's gone," he informed grimly.

Danny's hazy eyes shifted to Steve and then it hit him, square in the chest. "When?"

"About five minutes ago."

Danny sucked in a quavering breath. "Did he wake up at all? I mean was he in any pain?"

"No. He went peacefully."

"Where's Chin? Where's my friend?" Danny searched for him frantically.

"He stepped out of the room about ten minutes ago. Said he would be back." The doctor paused before he broached a delicate subject. "I know this isn't the time but…"

"He's an organ donor, I know," Danny finished with stinging tears pooling in his eyes. "But surely you have to wait a bit to confirm that he's really dead before you start cutting him up?" Danny said harshly.

"Of course."

"Then could you leave me alone with him?"

"Sure. I'll be back later." The doctor obliged and left.

Danny got a grip and stood to approach the bed. He lowered the bed rail and took Steve's limp hand in his. The heat was still radiating from the fever and his skin felt warm to the touch. "Guess that was too much, huh? I don't believe the bullets alone did you in as much as the mental anguish of the last few months. Talk about a Molotov cocktail."

Danny looked away when he felt his chest tightening with overwhelming emotions. He pressed his quivering lips together to hold the dam. He breathed in and out to regain control before settling his sight on his partner.

"Oh Steven, everything is crumbling around us. I don't even know who to trust anymore," he wept and closed his eyes to squish out the tears. "I wish I could turn back time to when it wasn't so complicated and everyone was where they should be. I know life must evolve but this surely isn't what and where I pictured it would be."

He glanced down at Steve's hand cradled in his. "Chin and I are the only ones left until we can clear Kono of the murder charges. I hate to think she might have done it. Not our girl. I have to believe she's clean."

"Dammit Steven, why did you leave me?" he snapped with a vigorous squeeze on the hand. "I needed you to keep me grounded. I needed a friend I could trust and who's always been there for me through thick and thin. Yeah I'm being selfish, I know. You are much better off where you're going, away from this craziness. You know that I'm not a religious man but I have to believe that someone, somewhere will take good care of you." He leaned in and whispered. "Watch over me from time to time, huh?"

Danny grabbed the edge of the bed sheet and drew it over Steve's face. "Goodbye my friend. Sleep tight."

At that moment, Danny jerked out of sleep.

"Sorry Danny, I didn't mean to wake up," Chin said as he mantled Danny's shoulders with a blanket. "Perhaps you'd be more comfortable on the sofa?"

Danny sprung to his feet and lunged at the bed to take a quick frantic look at Steve. "How is he?"

"Same. His heart keeps skipping a few beats and his fever's still got a firm hold of him. But hey, he's still with us."

"Yeah." Danny wiped the remnants of sleep out of his eyes and eased his breathing.

"Come on, Danny. You're exhausted. Go lie down."

"No. I shouldn't have fallen asleep in the first place," Danny chided himself for doing so.

"Then why don't you go out and stretch your legs a bit? I'll stay with him."

Danny nodded. Without so much of a word, he tapped Chin's shoulder and slouched out of the room.

Outside in the hallway he leaned against the wall and glanced heavenwards. "Please help him through this. I beg of you, whoever or whatever you are. I need him," he beseeched with every fiber of his being.


	4. Chapter 4

The next morning, Duke dropped by the hospital to get news on Steve's condition.

"Any change?" he asked Danny who was dabbing a wet cloth at his partner's face.

"His fever's down a bit and the arrhythmia is stable."

"So he made it to first base?"

"Looks like it. Still has ways to go before he hits home plate but his doctor is now optimistic he'll get there. However he's concerned about brain damage. The guy who brought him to the hospital didn't say much so they don't know if his brain was denied oxygen and if so, for how long?" a careworn Danny sighed dejectedly. "Anything new on your side?"

"We've obtained the surveillance tapes of every access into the hospital on the day Steve was brought in."

"What did you find?"

"We can clearly see someone laying Steve on a stretcher at the emergency entrance. He followed him to the OR doors, stopped at the nurses' station and quietly slipped away with no one being the wiser. I was wondering if you and Chin would come to the station to try to identify him. We can't quite make out his face as he was wearing a baseball cap and dark sunglasses and was obviously shying away from the cameras, but perhaps you both might give us some insight as to who he might be."

"What about the artist sketch?"

"Facial recognizance came up negative. No match. Besides there wasn't much to go on in the first place. His face was partially hidden."

"Finger prints?"

"He wore gloves."

"He...he wore gloves? Dammit!" Danny cursed their bad luck. "That guy's good. He covered his tracks. What about his voice?"

"What about it?"

"He did speak to the doctors and nurses. Would anyone by able to recognize the timbre if they heard it again?"

"I guess." Duke was at a lost. "But where do we begin to search? We need to zero in on a few suspects first." Danny simply shook his head in dismay. "Did you get in touch with his sister?"

"Yeah she returned my message earlier. I told her everything. She said something about not being able to get away."

"Sounds odd."

"Yeah well she's a bit eccentric to begin with. Perhaps it's for the best. With their mother returning and all," Danny let out a loud exhale, "Well I think she's better where she is."

"Duke?" Chin exclaimed upon entering the room. "Any news?"

"Yeah. Says he has the tapes that show the man who brought Steve to the emergency. He wants us to come downtown to try to identify him," Danny informed.

"I know you don't want to leave Steve, but it'll only take a few minutes."

"Was Charlie able to identify the blood in Wo Fat's cell?" Danny asked.

"Yeah. The results confirm it was Steve's. He was there when the shooting occurred. That mystery man is now our primary suspect in the massacre at the jail, reason why we need to nail him."

"Either Wo Fat knew these people were coming after him and set McGarrett up to use as a shield or as Chin said earlier, Steve was at the wrong place at the wrong time, henceforth the reason this stranger dropped him at the hospital. Whoever is behind this didn't want him to die. So we are looking at a friend and not a foe of McGarrett's," Danny surmised.

"Be that as it may, that still places Steve on the scene of the crime. Now some might argue that McGarrett was part of the scheme to break Wo Fat out of jail and that perhaps his associates wanted to get rid of him or that he got accidentally caught in the cross fires."

"Yeah but again we're left with the twenty-thousand-dollar question of why he brought him to the hospital instead of letting him die there? That's a good argument in favor of Steve that would hold up in court."

"Perhaps but it's still flimsy. Either way it's imperative we figure out who that man on the tape is."

"All right, let's go. I'll leave word at the nurses' station where to reach us if there's any change in Steve's condition."

_H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50_

At the HPD, Duke brought Danny and Chin in his office to review the tapes.

"There he is," Duke said while pointing to a tall, robust, dark-haired man carrying a limp Steve in his arms.

"Can you zoom in on his face?" Danny asked with a squint.

Duke did but the image grew blurry. "Any close up we do distorts the image quality. Besides the cap is hiding most of his facial features and his eyes are concealed behind those sunglasses."

"Perhaps Charlie could apply a sharpening filter?" Chin suggested.

Danny's squint became more pronounced until a discernible feature caught his eye.

"Any idea?" Duke queried.

"Not a clue. How about you, Danny?"

Danny shook his head and put on a poker face. "No idea," he fibbed. "It's way too murky."

"We'll ask Fong in Forensic if he can make it sharper."

"That mystery man is our only prospect to prove McGarrett innocent," Duke said.

"Or not," Danny demurred. Both Chin and Duke stared at him expectantly. "If we catch this guy it's likely he'll incriminate Steve to get himself off the hook."

"Not if he's on McGarrett's side?"

"Yes but surely not enough to take the wrap? We need to work another angle."

_H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50_

Joe's men dragged an insentient, hands and feet bound Wo Fat to a dark cell and unceremoniously dropped him on a cot. Joe waited for them to exit before closing and securing the door behind.

"How is he?"

"We pumped him full of drugs that should keep him under for a good five hours," said one of the militia men in combat uniform.

"Good work, boys. Now your job's done here. I want you to disappear from sight and forget what happened here. Got it?"

"Got it, Chief."

"What about McGarrett, sir?" raised Steve's unwilling assailant.

"What about him?"

"He saw my face."

"It's safe to say he won't remember you."

"How can you be sure?"

"It happened in a flash and the shock will wipe his memory. I've seen his eyes. They were empty and void of expression. I doubt he'll even recall seeing me. The brain blocks it out and only perhaps under hypnosis can the subject remember."

"Can we afford to take that chance?"

"Look he's never seen you before and you're not a wanted man so relax. Just leave the island and break all communication."

The team disbanded and each went his separate way. Joe waited for them to clear the premises and cast a last look at an unconscious Wo Fat before making his way to the back room.

"It's done. Wo Fat's on ice."

"Thanks Joe. I know you risked big doing this and I am utterly grateful."

"Don't mess up this time, Doris. I mean it."

She squinted at Joe's warning. "What's the matter? What is it you're not telling me?" Joe became restless and fidgety. "Joe?"

"We encountered an unexpected snag in our plan." She frowned. "Steve was there."

"What?"

"One of my men accidentally shot him." Flustered, Doris strode up to him. "I dropped him at the hospital so he could receive proper care."

"Did he see you?"

"I don't think so. He already was too far gone when I showed up."

"But you're not absolutely sure."

"No, I'm not."

"This will ruin everything."

"Listen I didn't plan for him to be there," Joe spewed out. "He just was. We'll deal with it."

"When you showed up at the hospital with a wounded man, surely they asked questions?"

"I donned a disguise and didn't say much. I didn't need to as they were too busy rushing him to surgery. I avoided the surveillance cameras whenever possible."

They stole a few seconds of silence to get a grip on their emotions.

"How was he?" Doris asked worriedly.

"He was bleeding out from a round of bullets."

"Round of bullets?" she parroted in shock.

"What do you expect from an AK-47?"

"Oh my God! What have we done?" Prostrate with grief and fear, Doris held her hands to her face.

"The alternative would have been worse you say. That way your secret is safe. What do you intend to do with Wo Fat?"

"I don't know yet. I need to talk to him first and then I'll decide."

"Whatever your decision, he needs to disappear once and for all."

_H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50_

Later, Doris made her way to the cell where Wo Fat was held captive. With an unyielding jaw and determined glare, she stepped up to the bars and stared him in the white of the eyes.

"Well, well, if it isn't Mommy Dearest," Wo Fat sneered.

"Shut up," she snarled loathingly. "Why was Steve at the jail?"

"My people informed me that White and his Merry Men were coming for me and at what time they planned the break in. So I made sure McGarrett would be there to see what a murderous scum his mentor was. I didn't plan on him killing McGarrett, though. That turned out even better than I imagined," Wo Fat smirked.

"He's not dead."

"He will be. How many bullets did they shoot at him? Seven? Ten? Out of that average it's safe to assume one hit a major organ or artery." He reveled triumphantly and relished Doris's expression of fear. "Think about it. White did you a favor. Now little Stevie won't risk finding out what a slut his mommy is."

"I ought to kill you right now," she snarled with eyes shooting daggers.

"Go ahead. That's what you plan to do anyway."

"Did you tell him?"

"About me being his baby brother? What do you think?"

"You're not Steve's brother," Doris said, though not convincingly enough.

"Really?" he sneered. "Well I know that he's not John McGarrett's son." Doris's eyes narrowed in contempt. Wo Fat grinned and glanced to her right. She followed his gaze to Joe entering the cell. "You've been a busy bee my dear mother. I wonder how many of us there are out there."

She was fuming mad. She turned and marched out of the cell in fury. Joe watched her whizzed by him and turned to Wo Fat who wore a vindictive grin.

Joe returned to Doris who was in tears. "Doris what's the matter? What happened in there?"

"Oh Joe, he knows."

"Knows what?"

"About you and me. If Steve finds out, he'll hate me."

"All the more reason to get rid of Wo Fat."

"You won't tell him, will you?"

"Never," he promised before pulling her into his arms.

"Oh Joe, what have I done? We made a mistake. I should never have come back and my baby would be better off. I hurt him. I didn't want this at all."

"I know you didn't but he was just getting too dangerously close to solving the Shelburne mystery. I had no choice but to bring him to the truth."

"There's so much more he doesn't know. What if he digs deeper and finds it? Then what?"

"I'll make sure he doesn't."

"There's Catherine. She knows more than she lets on."

"I've heard that Steve doesn't trust her as an informant anymore. So no worries there."

"If only I could believe that."


	5. Chapter 5

Later that afternoon, Danny dropped by the hospital to get word on Steve's condition. As he entered the ICU he was puzzled to find Doctor Canford checking the latest readings on the patient monitor.

"Doctor? Is everything all right?" Danny asked with a tinge of concern.

"His condition has definitely improved. His fever is almost broken and although his heartbeat is still a bit irregular, it's not alarming. He beat the odds."

"Give McGarrett a challenge and he'll rise to it and see it through the end." A small throaty moan interrupted Danny's thoughts. "Looks like he's coming around?"

Doctor Canford pried open one eye with his thumb and flashed his penlight to check the pupillary reflex. He repeated with the second eye. "Looks like he is." He put his penlight back into his smock breast pocket and cupped Steve's face. "Commander, can you hear me? If you can, open your eyes."

"Come on, Steven," Danny goaded on his side. "I'm here, babe. Listen to my voice."

They waited with bathed breath for the patient to split open his sagging eyelids. Once they opened at a slit, Danny leaned closer to Steve and with a beaming smile, he greeted, "Welcome back. You son-of-a-gun you! You are indeed indestructible. "

Steve stared quizzically at Danny and choked on the tracheal tube as he tried to swallow.

"I think we can remove the tube. He doesn't need it anymore." The doctor took hold of Steve's chin with one hand and the tube with the other. "OK Commander, I'm going to pull the tube out of your mouth now. When I count to three, you give me a big cough, all right?" He waited for Steve to acknowledge with a faint nod before counting and removing the tube with one swift pull, making Steve cough and gag. Canford grabbed a tissue and wiped the patient's mouth with it. "That's it. Now take easy breaths."

Steve did as instructed and winced at the smart coming from his chest. "It's okay, it's going to hurt for awhile until you get to exercise those lungs."

"Can I talk to him?"

"Try it."

"Steve, pal, look at me." Steve turned to Danny with a lethargic expression. "Steve? Do you know who I am?"

Steve closed his eyes and nodded.

"That's good," Danny sighed with relief. "You've come a long way, babe. But you're gonna be all right." Steve's vacuous eyes started roving around the room. "You're in a hospital. You were shot. Do you remember that?" Steve's heart rate soared as he tried to recall the incident. "It's okay Steve, take it easy now," Danny mollified with a hand on his partner's shoulder. "Breathe slowly."

Steve reached a hand up to his chest and winced at the thick bandage over his sternum.

"No, don't touch that." Danny grabbed Steve's hand to remove it from his chest and kept a firm grip on it. "You've had surgery." He glanced up at the doctor whom he saw injecting a solution into the IV line. "What are you doing?"

"Giving him a mild dose of sedative to put him under. I don't want him to tire needlessly and put unnecessary strain on his heart."

"It's my fault. I shouldn't have mentioned the shooting," Danny repented as he watched his partner's eyes slowly close.

"It's obviously too early for him to deal with the shock."

"At least he awoke and can breathe on his own."

"That's a giant step indeed but let's not cry victory just yet. His wounds were serious and we need to monitor his symptoms as they appear. So far so good though."

"I'll stay with him for while, Doc."

"Okay. I'll be back later to check on him."

Danny settled in the armchair beside Steve's bed and watched him sleep.

_H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50_

At supper time, Chin dropped by for a visit.

"How is he?" Chin asked as he moved up to the bed.

"The good news is that he's no longer on the respirator and he woke up briefly a while ago."

"That is good news."

"Yeah, but he freaked out when I asked if he remembered the shooting. The doctor put him under for fear of a cardiac arrest. His heart rate was all over the place."

"It's my turn to keep a vigil. You go out and grab something to eat."

Danny stood from his chair, stretched his arms and rubbed his stiff neck. "Okay. I'll be back after supper. I'll drop by Duke's office to see if they've made progress in the case." Before crossing to the door he cast a last glance at Steve lying with a worrisome pained expression on his face. "If anything…"

"I'll call you," Chin finished with a knowing smile.

Danny gave Chin a friendly pat on the shoulder before exiting the room with a heavy step.

_H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50_

Doctor Canford had managed to convince the two worrywarts to go home and get a goodnight sleep, with a promise to contact them the minute there was any change in their friend's condition. The night turned out to be uneventful with Steve slumbering peacefully.

Before dropping by the hospital the next morning, Danny went to sit alone on a bench overlooking the beach, He absentmindedly watched the passersby while waiting for his appointment to show up.

The man quietly sat next to him, neither one making eye contact.

"Thank you for meeting me," Danny said without unfastening his eyes from a bunch of children building sand castles.

"What's up?"

"You're the man who brought Steve to the hospital, aren't you?"

"I don't know what you're talking about? I didn't even know McGarrett was hurt."

"Don't play dumb with me, Joe," Danny gnarled. "I saw you on the security cameras."

"Impossible. I was nowhere in the vicinity when the shooting occurred," Joe lied.

"Shooting? Did you hear me say anything about a shooting?"

"I can read the headlines, Danny." Joe outsmarted Danny.

But the shrewd detective wouldn't relent. "Joe, don't try to deny it. I know it was you."

"How could you possibly know that?"

"To begin with, who else would have removed a dying man from the scene of a crime, bring him to the hospital himself so he could receive immediate care and slip away quietly to avoid police interrogation to risk being branded a suspect in the jailbreak? Certainly not a foe."

"Steve has a lot of friends out there."

"But none I know has a big enough grudge against Wo Fat to gun down ten guards in order to break him out of jail."

"And I do?" Danny shot him a dark scowl. "There's a lot you don't know. Why do you home in on ole Joe?"

"The wig did throw me off but I remembered the brown red-stripped baseball cap you wore on a picture that was taken of you and Steve. I saw it at his house. Plus which, the method used to relieve pressure on a collapsed lung is the same you taught Steve in the Army."

"Navy, Danny," Joe corrected. "And you call that evidence?" he snorted.

"I don't need tangible proof Joe because I'm not aiming at getting you arrested, although I should. Plus which there's your voice. You spoke to a few nurses and doctors. I'm sure if I brought them a tape of you talking they'd recognize you."

"You're recording this conversation right now, aren't you?"

"No need. We already have a print of your voice recorded on file."

Joe took a moment to steel himself and yielded, "Who else knows?"

"Just me."

"What do you want?" Joe asked straightforwardly.

"The truth. Why in the hell did you break that bastard out of jail? We had him!"

"Don't ask questions I cannot answer."

"My partner is fighting for his life at this very moment because of what you did."

"It was an accident, Danny."

"That I believe for as I said, you wouldn't have risked getting caught showing up at the emergency with a multiple-gunshot-wound casualty. There was bound to be questions and I have to hand it to you, you skillfully dodged the bullets. No pun intended."

"I obviously didn't do a good enough job since you figured out it was me."

"It was a fluke. If I hadn't seen that picture at Steve's house I might never have known. You should have bought yourself a new hat at the dollar store," Danny quipped.

"Didn't have time, Steve's life was at stake."

"I have to thank you for not letting him die there."

"He wasn't supposed to be at the jail when we busted in. Do you know why he was there?"

"Said that Wo Fat wanted to talk to him about something. He didn't say what."

"Did he set a specific hour for the visit?"

"I don't know." Danny's brows creased in suspicion. "Why d'you ask?"

"Because I have reason to believe Wo Fat's contacts somehow tipped him off we were coming and he made sure McGarrett would be there. They expected him to talk me out of it. That could have bought them some time to plan an escape of their own later."

"Steve's blood places him at the scene of the crime. Do you realize he can be accused of having aided in a prison break?" Danny was incensed but Joe played it cool. "Why Joe? Why were you involved?"

"Told you Danny. I can't say. And you'd better keep this under your hat if you know what's good for you."

"You're threatening me?" Joe remained silent. "They're bound to uncover evidence that will place you at the scene. What then?"

"They won't."

"Where's Wo Fat now? Is he dead?"

"Danny, please! I don't want you involved."

"I am involved, Joe!" Danny bellowed between gritted teeth to avoid attracting attention. "Steve's lying in a hospital bed with five holes in him. I'm his partner, his friend. Whether I like it or not I am involved." Danny paused to gauge Joe's reaction. "Does it have anything to do with Steve's mother?"

"Stay out of this Danny," Joe warned stringently with jaw tightly clenched. "Just take care of Steve."

"There's a strong possibility he'll remember what happened when hopefully he gets better. Do you honestly believe I can restrain him from going after you… or her?"

"I don't think he really saw me. After he was shot he had unfocused eyes, most like I've seen in men before they died. If he should survive and knowing him he will, he won't remember me being there."

"You're so sure of yourself. You know where Doris McGarrett is, don't you?"

"No I don't, Danny."

Danny snorted. "I can always tell when you're lying because that's all you've been doing ever since you returned into Steve's life."

"I beg your pardon?"

"You know where she's hiding and you probably know where she took Kono and Adam too." There was an ominous silence that prompted Danny to beat the iron while hot. "I think Adam's the one who killed that cop and he framed Kono."

"You've developed a dark, suspicious nature."

"That's an affliction I caught from hanging around McGarrett." Danny turned to him. "If you help me prove that Kono is innocent, then I'll make sure Steve doesn't go after you."

"How do I do that?"

"Concealed pieces of evidence. I'm sure you can get your hands on some. I want Kono cleared of all charges so she can return to Five-0. We need our Ohana back, Joe. This past year has been hell for all of us. Let's try to put things back in place."

"You're asking an awful lot, Danny boy."

"Perhaps. But we must start somewhere. Get me that evidence or any other to acquit Kono, and I swear we'll leave you alone."

Joe stood and faced Danny. "I can't promise anything. And forget Wo Fat. He won't be bothering you anymore." On that last note, Joe walked away.

"Why doesn't that make me feel better?" Danny mumbled to himself.


	6. Chapter 6

After checking with Duke on the latest developments, Danny returned to the hospital.

"Danny, glad you're here."

"What's the matter?" Danny asked worriedly.

"Steve is asking for you."

Danny moved to the bed where two drooping eyes instantly fastened onto his. "Is everything all right?" Danny addressed Chin while keeping eye contact with his visibly restless partner who reached out a hand to him. "Steve, what's the matter?" he asked as he grabbed Steve's hand.

Steve tried to speak but cringed as the effort made his chest hurt.

"Take it easy, babe. Breathe slowly and you won't hurt." Danny coached his friend on how to relax and breathe. "That's it. I can wait."

"Wh…what happened?" Steve finally breathed out.

"You were shot several times, but you're gonna be all right. You're SuperSEAL, remember?" Steve's face twisted in pain. "Easy, easy there. Perhaps we should talk later."

Steve squeezed Danny's hand and shook his head. "No, now."

"Then calm yourself or I will have to press that button to give you more pain medicine," Danny threatened with his thumb on the panic button.

"No don't, please," Steve whined hoarsely. "No more drugs." Steve licked his lips and closed his eyes to summon his memory of the events leading up to the shooting. "Wo Fat. I was with Wo Fat."

"At the correctional facility?" Danny asked and Steve nodded weakly. "What did he want?"

"Said…said he wanted me to protect him from someone."

"Who?"

"Don't know. He didn't say. Then I heaaaaard…I heard an explosion and gun shots. They were welding a hole through the door to get in," he gulped in another painful breath and continued. "I tried to disarm the first man that came in and then…then…"

"What?"

Steve squished his eyes shut as the pain increased a notch. The heart monitor was registering a rising heart rate. "Okay babe, relax now. Breathe slowly. Come on Steve. Easy now. That's it. Easy does it."

"My chest," Steve complained as he brought his hand over his heart.

"You're hurting?"

"At the jail. Shot."

"Yes you were shot over there. The doctors removed five bullets in you and that's why you need to take it easy and not get excited. One was lodged in your heart and as a result it is very fragile and weak."

"Heart?" Steve was shocked.

"Yeah. It didn't go through fortunately; otherwise we wouldn't be having this conversation."

"A man," Steve swallowed hard. "He was there. Shouted my name," he recalled dazedly.

"Do you remember who it was?" Chin asked from the other side of the bed.

Steve tried but could not see the face. "No. Was a blur."

As Danny and Chin exchanged concerned looks, Steve suddenly began gasping for air.

"Steve, what's the matter? Steve?" Danny asked hysterically. "Come on, talk to me!" he urged with a firm squeeze of the hand.

"Can't…can't breathe," Steve struggled for breath.

"Chin, go get the doctor, QUICK!"

Chin dashed out the door and returned with Doctor Canford and a nurse seconds later.

"What happened?" Canford asked as he glanced up at the heart monitor before leaning over the respiratory distress patient.

"One minute we were talking and the next he said he couldn't breathe." Danny explained as he vacated his space to allow the doctor to examine Steve.

"That's what I was afraid of. He's throwing a clot." He addressed the nurse. "Get an OR ready. Tell them we're coming in with a PE."

"PE. What's a PE?" Danny asked in a complete tizzy.

"A pulmonary embolism."

_H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50_

In another part of the island, Joe entered a public phone booth and dialed a number. "Yeah it's me."

"It's been a while, my friend. Something I can do you for?"

"I need to collect on that favor."

"Name it."

"I want iron-clad proof that Officer Kono Kalakaua of Five-0 didn't shoot that cop. It's all over the news I've sure you've heard it. I know she didn't do it but I need irrefutable arguments to back up my claim."

"There is strong incriminating evidence against her you know?"

"I do but I'm sure you can find something to overturn it?"

"Shouldn't be too hard to find or to do."

"Nothing bogus now."

"I'll see what I can do."

"Thanks. I'll be in touch."

_H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50_

Later that day, Danny was sitting in an armchair next to Steve's bed with his head resting against his fist; his sight never leaving his partner who lay deathly still with a tracheal tube attached to his mouth. The whooshing sound of the respirator clashed with the rhythmic beat of the heart monitor, which made Danny's ears ache and his stomach churn.

Although surgery had been deemed a success, the likelihood of brain damage following a cardiopulmonary arrest of nearly six minutes had the doctors gravely concerned. Jargon talk about a lobectomy and greenfilter had washed over Danny. All that stuck to him was that his partner's heart had taken another blow, one of which he might not recover.

Chin and Danny had been summoned to HPD headquarters to meet with agents from Internal Affairs investigating the Wo Fat case. Chin offered to go so that Danny could remain at the hospital while Steve was in surgery.

An hour after surgery was over, Chin returned to the hospital to find a weary Danny now leaning over Steve with his arms resting against the bed rail.

"Danny? How is he?"

"As well as could be expected," Danny informed tiredly. He was obviously reaching the end of his emotional and physical tether. "That thing is back in his throat to help him with his breathing."

"How was surgery?"

Danny sucked in a shuddering breath. "They…they had to remove part of his lung 'cause the blood clot caused too much damage." Danny's nose crinkled as his eyes welled up with tears. "It was close, Chin. Too close. His doctor says that his heart is weaker from the surgery. It stopped on the operating table and they had trouble bringing him back. I don't think he has anymore fight left in him."

"Don't give up on him yet."

"I'm not it's just so damn hard seeing him like this."

Chin wrapped a consoling arm around Danny's shoulders.

"Danny go home to your girl. Get some rest. I'll stay here with him."

"Could say the same for you? Don't you have a date with Leilani?"

"Well under the circumstances we both decided to postpone it. I'm not exactly in the mood to wine and dine her."

Danny agreed with a nod. "What did the boys at IA have to say about Wo Fat's escape?"

"They are still baffled as to who could have done it. The video security cameras at the correctional facility had all been disabled, so they don't have any visual, so no suspect description. No witness whatsoever, except perhaps for Steve but right now he's in no shape to tell us what happened.

"Not that he could anyway. All he remembers is a man calling his name. He didn't see his face. Says he was all a blur."

"The only blood found at the site were Steve's and the guards' who were gunned down. They combed the place for finger prints and other bodily fluids like fresh saliva; tiny pieces of clothing, hair, nail, skin, anything that could be analyzed. What they came up with so far belonged to either Steve, Wo Fat and to the people who work there. They found empty gun shells of 7.6 caliber that was fired from an automatic rifle, probably AK47. I say it was most likely a military job."

"Yeah," Danny sighed knowingly. He kept quiet to avoid arousing suspicion and set a trail leading to Joe's door while he was working on getting Kono exonerated. "It's nothing short of a miracle that he's still alive."

"Danny, it's impossible that the man could have just vanished into this air. He must have dropped a clue somewhere and we just need to figure it out."

"One thing's for certain he couldn't have done it alone."

"That's the general consensus. The guys at Internal Affairs are getting restless. They need to pin the blame on someone and guess who they've thrown their sights on?"

Danny snorted. "Steve."

"Yeah. Let's just pray he recovers fast and remembers who did it."

"The question is: how can we prove it? You said it, there's no other evidence whatsoever to get him off the hook." Danny was well aware that going after Joe White was suicide and yet if he didn't reveal the identity of the mastermind who orchestrated this prison break, he feared that they would be reliving the nightmare of the Pat Jameson murder.

"Not yet but we'll find something," Chin sighed dejectedly, hopelessness invading him as he and Danny returned their attention to Steve.


	7. Chapter 7

Joe drove to a suburban split-level in a quaint neighborhood of Yokohama, Japan. He parked his car in an inconspicuous place a few yards down from the house and walked the rest of the way, careful to spy any unwanted prying eyes before making his way up to the front porch. He inserted the key in the lock and walked in.

"Joe?" Adam exclaimed in shock as he came into the living room. "What are you doing here? Better yet how did you find me?"

"I have my sources," Joe deadpanned. He could sense that Adam was growing nervous. "Relax, I'm here alone. I just want to talk to you."

"Sure Commander. What's up?"

"Where's Kono?"

"In the other apartment. Why?"

"Why did you do it?" out came the curt query.

"Beg your pardon?" Adam was baffled.

Joe produced a Manila envelope from underneath his jacket and handed it over to Adam and said crossly. "Take a look."

Adam stared quizzically at Joe before pulling the incriminating evidence out of the envelope. Eyes widened in shock. "Where did you get those?"

"Not important. Why did you do it? And worse, why did you frame your girl?"

"Delano's gang wanted to get back at her and they used me."

"Why you?"

"I was once part of his team."

"Shit! Did he make you waste anyone?" Adam hesitated. "Come on, it's just you and me. Besides I'm the only one who can help you now."

Adam closed his eyes in shame before uttering the name. "Malia Kelly."

Joe was shellshock by the revelation. He ran a hand across his face and look away to get his bearings back. "Why?"

"Why? Because he would have killed me if I didn't go through with it, that's why. Another incentive was that I hated her cousin. He kept trying to convince Kono I wasn't good enough for her," Adam spewed out viciously, finally releasing his hostility.

"Well can you blame him?" Joe was visibly peeved. "So you murdered Kelly's wife out of petty revenge?"

"No not just. I told you, Delano had me in his crosshairs. They were eyes all around, watching my every move."

"Well they can't touch you anymore. Delano's gang is behind bars now."

"Not all of them."

Joe's head jerked up at this revealing piece of information. "Do tell."

"Only if you help me."

"These pictures will go to Internal Affairs, you know that."

"Who could have taken them?"

"Probably Delano's men. Wanted to have proof or perhaps even blackmail you with those eventually if you broke your contract with them."

"Is that where you got them?"

"No. A different source altogether."

"I can't tell Kono."

"You won't have to. I'll make you disappear, tonight. No goodbyes. Anyhow she'll be on the warpath once she finds out. Better you not be here when she does."

"Thanks Joe."

"This is the last favor, kiddo," Joe hissed a warning with a finger thrust at Adam's face to punctuate his intent. "I'm thru with your family."

_H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50_

Days later, Danny met with Joe on the same beach bench. He sat next to Danny and discreetly handed him the Manila envelope.

"What's this?"

"The proof that Kono didn't kill that cop."

Danny hurriedly opened the envelope and took out the pictures. He took a few seconds to study them. "Adam?"

"You were right. He did frame her."

"Where did you get these?"

"I called on a favor."

"Not fake are they?"

"I can assure you they're not. You can have Fong run an analysis."

"Who gave them to you? Who took those pictures?" Danny was keyed up at the priceless items and yet, had reservations about their authenticity.

"Don't ask questions I cannot answer."

"The guys at IA are going to ask me where I got them."

"You reply it was from a reliable source."

Danny snorted. "How can you be so sure…wait a minute? You wouldn't have gotten them from a mole inside the organization, now would you?"

"No I didn't. You see McGarrett asked me if I could get someone trustworthy to conduct a shadow investigation of Adam. Says he didn't trust him."

"I thought he asked Catherine to do that."

"He did but he was becoming more wary of her lately. Doubtful of the information she was feeding him."

"Yes he told me. But that doesn't tell me who gave you those incriminating pictures."

"Danny the less you know, the better you'll be."

"Where's Adam now?"

"Gone."

"What do you mean gone? Where?"

"It's better you don't know."

Danny huffed out in frustration. "Does Kono know?"

"She knows he framed her, but she doesn't know where he is, no."

"Where is she now?"

"Still safely hidden until you can clear her name. Shouldn't take long."

"Why do I feel like you're ensnaring me into a trap?"

He turned to stare the detective square in the eyes. "Look Danny, do you trust me?"

Danny replied snappily with a steely stare. "No."

"Smart boy."

"Why didn't you come forward before with this evidence? Why did you let Kono become a fugitive and having to hide?"

"I didn't have them before today. You asked and I delivered."

Danny paused to come down from his high horse and gather his thoughts. "I think you should know that for lack of evidence to the contrary, the boys at Internal Affairs are ready to charge Steve with aiding a prisoner escape."

"I'll take care of it. There won't be any indictment."

Danny pushed out a long, drawn-out sigh and looked away. "You are one insidious man, Joe White."

"Just be thankful that I'm on your side."

"I'm beginning to wonder if that's a good thing."

"It's a corrupted world, Danny. Play by their rules and they won't bother you."

"So I've heard."

"Look the sooner you bring those pictures to the Fed, the sooner they'll absolve Kono and then she and McGarrett can..."

"She and McGarrett can what?" Danny interjected.

"Come on Danny, I'm sure you're not that blind?" he hinted with a grin, tapped his knee and stood. "See you around, kiddo."

Danny cast one last look at the pictures and signed thoughtfully. "No, I'm not that blind," he mumbled to himself. "Joe?" Joe stopped and turned to Danny, waiting for him to speak his mind one last time. "For what it's worth, thanks."

"Anytime. Take care of Steve, now. He needs your friendship more than he cares to admit."

"Wait!" Danny stood and walked over to him. "Do you want to see Steve before you leave?"

"I'd like that."

"I think I can arrange it. Come with me."

_H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50_

They both made it to the hospital in their own car. Danny brought Joe to Steve's room where the guard flashed them a suspicious look. "It's okay. He's with me." Danny assured before leading Joe in the room where Steve lay unconscious.

Joe took a quick gander at the apparatuses hooked up to his young protege before making his way to the bed. Danny remained in the background to give the atypical emotional Joe all the space he needed.

Joe ran his hand against Steve's slightly feverish brow. "Hey kid. I can't begin to tell you how sorry I am for what happened. But you're a tough stubborn mule. If anyone can beat this, you can. I know you'll get through it and come out even stronger than before." Joe bit his upper lip in an attempt to keep the unshed tears from spilling out in front of Danny. He leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on Steve's forehead. "Goodbye, son."

He stole a few seconds to regain his composure before facing Danny who wore a deep frown. He didn't bother to ask and instead, just left the room.

He was quietly walking down the hall when Danny called out to him. "Joe!" he slowed to a stop and waited for Danny to close the gap between them, his back still to him. "You're his father, aren't you?" Danny managed gently.

Joe closed his eyes and sighed inwardly without making eye contact. "Do you care for Steve?"

"What kind of stupid question is that? Of course I do," Danny rebuked indignantly.

Joe craned his neck back to look at Danny. "Then forget what you just said; otherwise you'll wind up hurting him more than he has been in his lifetime." On this revealing thought, he continued toward the exit.

"I'll take that as a yes," Danny muttered to himself.


	8. Chapter 8

**McKono fans, you might like this chapter.**

Nearly two weeks later, Danny was standing by Steve's bed listening intently to the doctor's instructions on how to use an incentive lung spirometer to exercise his partner's lungs. Doctor Canford demonstrated with a wary Steve who suspected that his first attempt at breathing into that tube would prove painful and he was right. On the first mouthful of air, his face contorted in agony and he clutched his chest.

"I know it hurts Commander, but you need to do those breathing exercises twice a day for now in order to prevent pneumonia." Steve nodded in understanding. The doctor brought the tube once more to Steve's lips. "Once more."

Danny cringed at seeing his partner in the throes of agony. Each intake was killing Steve but he knew that it was for his own good.

"We'll stop for now. Detective Williams, I trust you can handle it from here?"

"I think I do."

"You can use it again this afternoon. He needs to inhale three times, even if it hurts."

"I understand, Doctor Canford."

"I'll leave you alone now. Try not to tire him too much. He still needs his rest."

"I won't. Thank you."

Once the doctor was out of the room, Steve reached for Danny's arm and coughed out his request for water. Danny was all too willing to oblige and brought the glass of water to Steve's mouth.

"How's that?"

Steve closed his eyes and nodded. "Better". He sank his head into his pillow and sighed.

"What are you thinking, babe?"

"I still can't remember what happened, Danny," Steve admitted dejectedly in a whispering, croaking voice.

"Let it go for now, Steve. You need to get your strength back. We nearly lost you twice."

"I want to get back out there." Danny started to laugh. "What?"

"You just can't stay put now, can you? May I remind you that you have five holes in you made by big caliber bullets by the way."

"Danny, the holes have been patched up and besides you heard the doctor? I need to start exercising to get back into shape."

"He meant short walks up and down the hall, NOT chase after suspects and tackle them to the ground or hang them over a ledge. Look at you! You can barely talk, you need assistance to use the can..."

"Correction! I do not need anyone to help me go answer nature's call. It's just that whenever I need to go, there's always someone here," Steve bellyached, ending on a light cough that seared his healing lung. "Danny, the sooner I get back out there, the sooner I can spur my memory. I can't achieve that here while I'm plied with drugs. I can't think straight."

"The drugs are there to keep you compliant while your body heals."

Steve sank deeper into his pillow and sulked.

Danny leaned closer to the bed and offered this word of friendly advice. "I know it's frustrating but you must give yourself time. You don't seem to realize that you came to a hair's breadth of checking out on us, twice. Even your doctor wasn't sure you'd wake up with all of your marbles because of oxygen deprivation when you arrested. Thank you lucky star that you are still your old stubborn Neanderthal self." He paused to let the words sink in. "We miss you down at Five-0 but we can wait until you're a hundred per cent better before you come waltzing into the office."

Steve offered a tepid smile that didn't reach his eyes.

"Danny?" Danny turned to Chin entering the room. "I heard you talking."

"He's awake."

"Hey Steve!" Chin cheered as he approached the bed. " You sure are looking better."

"Perhaps but I still feel like crap."

"Well that's to be expected after surviving five bullets. Don't forget about the one in your heart. The Doc says you'll need to take it easy for a while," Chin said.

Steve sighed in frustration. "Guess that means McGarrett will be stuck doing paper work."

"Music to my ears," Danny boasted.

"Yeah well don't get used to it, Blondie," Steve pouted.

Danny laughed. "It's good to have you back."

"Chin?" Duke called from the doorway. "Is it all right if we come in?"

Chin turned to Danny.

"I think I know what will cheer you up, babe. Ready for a visitor?" Danny asked Steve with a goofy grin.

Steve shot his partner a dubious stare.

Chin smiled approvingly and waved Duke in. "It's okay. Come on in."

"Go ahead, sweetheart," he said to Kono with a light shove inside. "I'm sure he'll be ecstatic to see you."

"Kono!" Steve exclaimed in shock. "What, what are you doing here?"

"It's over, Steve. I don't need to run and hide anymore." She glanced up at Chin and Danny. "Chin and Danny managed to gather the evidence to clear me of all murder charges. I'm free."

Steve was stunned at the news. "Danny, is that true?"

"Yup!"

"How did you do it?" Steve asked with a gnawing suspicion at the back of his mind.

"I found some pictures that showed Adam pulling the trigger." Steve elbowed himself to a sitting position and instantly cringed at the smart in his chest. Danny lunged at him in a split second to hold him steady. "Easy there!"

Steve breathed away the painful twinges and glared at Danny. "Where did you find them?"

"A source gave them to me."

"Danny!" Steve tried to chide his partner but his hoarse voice wouldn't reach the desired pitch.

"Babe, remember that ticker of yours. Mustn't get excited now. The good news is that Kono is a free girl, now. "

"What about Adam?"

"We don't know where he is," Kono answered. "When Doris heard that Internal Affairs had acquitted me, she helped me get back to Hawaii."

"Is my mom with you?"

"No. She just dropped me off at the airport and Chin picked me up in Honolulu."

Steve showed visible signs of distress at the whole turn of events. "What the hell happened while I was out?"

"Plenty. Chin and I wanted our Ohana back and we left no stones unturned to get there."

"Aren't you happy things worked out the way they did?" Chin asked, a bit puzzled by Steve's surliness.

"I think he's upset because he didn't get to solve the case himself," Danny teased.

"That's not it, Danny," Steve huffed out in anger, with a small cough escaping his throat. "Don't get me wrong, I'm happy Kono has been cleared. It just…"

"What?"

"I just wish I could remember what happened after I got shot. You still have no clues as to who broke Wo Fat out of jail and I'm the only one who could provide that missing piece of information." Steve was annoyed at his lack of memory.

"Don't fret about it, Steven. I'm sure it'll come back to you," Danny assured, though he wished McGarrett would never remember for everyone's sake.

"I'm even surprised they haven't accused me of aiding Wo Fat escape. You would think I'd be their primary suspect."

"Lack of evidence," Danny fibbed with his best poker face. He avoided Steve's direct stare for fear of him succeeding in breaking the mask of deceit.

"Plus which they now have a strong lead on who might have broken Wo Fat out of jail." All turn to Chin. "Duke called me a few minutes ago. Seems they found new evidence that places Ito Nishiru on the scene of the crime. He's the head of one of the Yakuza syndicates and a sworn enemy of Wo Fat."

"That is great news!" Danny's thoughts instantly went to Joe. He heaved an inward sigh of relief knowing the powerful Navy Commander had successfully managed to throw the Internal Affairs investigation off course. He silently thanked him for saving his partner from a serious jail sentence.

Relief was also written on Steve's face, though a tinge of skepticism at this odd turn of events subsided. He then turned to Kono with a smile. "Come here." He extended his arms to wrap her in a hug. "I'm glad you're back."

"So am I and I can say the same for you. I heard what happened."

"As you can see I'm still here," he said, again still with a whispering, croaking voice.

"I can't believe Adam framed me. I should have listened to you. You knew he was bad news from the start."

"Yeah, well, we all make mistakes."

"I really make bad choices when it comes to men, don't I?"

Danny nudged Chin on the shoulder and both slipped away quietly.

"Maybe you're trying too hard or perhaps it's just that you're looking in the wrong places. We often look too far when it's right under our noses," he hinted.

She paused to ponder his words. Suddenly it dawned on her when his gaze locked onto hers. She gaped. "Steve?"

"You couldn't tell?"

"No I mean, you were with Catherine."

"Yeah guess that would throw any girl off the track. Cath and I were never exclusive. We had a thing. A good one but it was just that. I never told you because, well I didn't think you were interested."

"I never told you because I thought YOU were not the least bit interested."

"Well, what do you say we try to do something about it now?"

She grinned from ear to ear and she leaned in and whispered close to his face. "I'm all for that." She gently pressed her lips to his. Steve moaned painfully into the kiss and she quickly pulled back. "I'm sorry, did I hurt you?"

"I'm still a bit tender but…don't stop. I've waited a long time for this."

As they both resumed the tender embrace, Chin and Danny discreetly peeked in and smiled contentedly.

"I think she's the one who will finally get him to commit to a relationship."

"I wouldn't mind having him as a cousin-in-law. Much better than Adam or all the other guys she's dated."

"Come on," Danny said with a tap on Chin's shoulder. "Let's leave them their privacy. It's long overdue."

_H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50_

Weeks later, Danny, Chin and Kono came to get Steve who was finally being discharged from the hospital. He was raring to jump back into action, mostly to tackle the case of the missing Wo Fat and the gang responsible for the prison break and his shooting.

Still to this day, his mind would draw a complete blank as to the identity of the man who called his name and that frustrated him to a point where he would actually get physically sick. Thankfully Danny kept a watchful eye on his partner's whereabouts and at every opportunity, he attempted to discourage him from racking his brains out.

Steve was gradually becoming suspicious of Danny's true intent with regard to the case that he kept casually brushing aside in favor or less strenuous assignments. So one morning, he decided to confront his partner.

"Danny, would you come to my office, please?" Steve asked on a rather gruff tone.

Danny shrugged at Chin and Kono before walking inside Steve's office. Steve closed the door behind him and crossed his arms against his chest. "Okay, out with it."

"Out with what?" Danny feigned innocence. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"What is it you're not telling me?"

"I already told you everything." Steve stared at him. "I did, babe." Steve stuck out a defiant chin. "Stop staring at me! Steven, for God sake!"

"Danny, you're squinting."

"Geez, I really need to work on that," Danny chided himself.

"We're partners. No secrets remember?"

"If you must know I finally got in touch with Catherine."

"And?"

"Sends her best but told me she didn't want to have anything to do with you."

"I can imagine. She and I broke up."

"I take it it wasn't on friendly terms?"

"It's complicated."

"Hey I don't want to pry. This is your business and yours alone."

"Among other things, she wanted something I couldn't give her: a long-term commitment."

"Perhaps because she was not the one." Danny hinted, jutting his head at Kono through the glass window.

Steve threw Danny a knowing look. "Could be. But this isn't about Catherine, is it?"

"It's classified, babe." Danny smirked.

"Danny!"

"Hey you have your missions, I have mine," Danny was quick to retort.

"I believe I know what it is."

"What?" Danny frowned in fear of what Steve had to say.

"You know who was at the jail when I got shot, don't you?" he challenged.

"Internal Affairs have the culprit in their crosshairs. You heard what Chin said?"

"It's not him and you know it," Steve said matter-of-factly.

"What are you talking about?" Danny gulped nervously but swiftly got a grip.

"Come on, Danny! If it were Nishiru he would have shot Wo Fat in the cell and left him there to die. He wouldn't have bothered carrying his dead weight around. He would have left me there as well. No, you're protecting the real instigator of this crime."

"He shot you, Steve! You would think I wanted him dead for what he did to you."

"Not necessarily so, not if it was an accident. He did save my life. Who would do that, you think?" Danny remained silent. Steve uncrossed his arms and went to stand in front of the window, his back to Danny. "It was Joe, wasn't it?" Danny's eyes dropped and his stance deflated. Steve turned to him. "Wasn't it?"

"You remember?"

"Yeah, I remember. It came to me last night. It's still foggy though."

"Perhaps you dreamt it?"

"Come on, Danny!" Steve was incensed.

There was a tense pause before Danny spoke solemnly. "Let it go, Steve."

"What?"

"You've got your health back; Kono has been acquitted and you and she are an item now; Wo Fat is out of our hair for good; Adam is gone; we're back together at Five-0. I say let it go. Don't make waves," Danny warned.

"Did he threaten you in any way?"

"It's not him I'm worried about but the people working in the shadows. If you play by their rules, they won't bother you." Steve glared at him. "I mean it. I don't want to go there. If you think the Shelburne mystery was a humdinger to crack…"

Steve ran a hand across his face and huffed. He stared his partner straight in the eyes and said with a light quiver in his voice. "I can't, Danny."

"Do you intent to go to the authorities? And perhaps risk getting enmeshed in a worse spin than you are now?"

Steve hung his head and sighed deeply. "I want to know why he did it. Was it because he didn't want Wo Fat to reveal a dark secret, one of which he was ready to disclose to me before the shooting occurred."

"Why Steven? Some secrets are better left buried."

"Maybe, but I hate having to grow a third eye in my back to watch the people I trusted the most."

"You've got me, Chin and Kono. We'll never betray you, babe."

Steve fashioned a small curl of the lip. "I thought the same for Joe and Catherine."

"They haven't betrayed you; just withheld the truth for your own good."

"That's not good enough."

Danny stepped up to his distraught partner and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Okay, whatever you decide, know that I won't be far. I might think you're a stupid Neanderthal for doing it but hey! You're our SuperSEAL and we love you, you big goof."

Steve's eyes brimmed over with tears at this token of affection. "Thanks Danno."

**The End…for me**

**Well that's it! The rest is anybody's guess. I made quite a bit of a mess; now it's up to the show's writers to untangle it. I certainly hope they do a good job in September. **

**I should be back with another story, this one with no connection to seasons premiere or finale, that is if my new agent lets me. He's hired me to write for television next season.**

**A huge thank you for following my very first fanfic story and for your reviews. **


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